Pat Riley

The Mercedes-Benz had a navy blue exterior and tan interior, Gary Vitti reminded himself as he walked out of an LAX terminal and toward a job he wasn't even sure he wanted. He was happy being the head athletic trainer at the University of Portland, not to mention an adjunct professor, and had already tasted a bit of the NBA via two years as an assistant trainer with the Utah Jazz. When he saw the Mercedes, Vitti jumped into it and was immediately negative, complaining about the traffic in Los Angeles. The driver was Lakers General Manager Jerry West, who took Vitti a few miles east for a three-hour interview at the Forum. Then Vitti met Coach Pat Riley, who was direct, even a...

Related "Pat Riley" Articles

The emotional conclusion of the Miami Heat's free agency saga came to a defiant end Tuesday with Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem agreeing to deals with the only NBA team they've ever played for.Wade came to terms with the Heat and then sent out a message on...

New Sacramento Kings assistant Nancy Lieberman recalls a conversation with Pat Riley a couple of years back when she explained to the Miami Heat executive how much she wanted to keep coaching at basketball's highest level. "When I said to him, 'You...

Amar'e Stoudemire wants to win a championship, and he's now willing to take less money and a reduced role to do it. Perhaps sensing his opportunity for being a major contributor on a contending team slipping away, Stoudemire agreed to a veteran's...

Pat Riley doesn't stay down for long. He takes failure as a personal affront, something beneath him, and he has responded to it with force. He is challenged again, revitalized. Riley has enjoyed his best summer since 2010, and because of that the Miami...

Anthony Mason, the rugged power forward who was a defensive force in the NBA from the 1990s into the early 21st century, has died. He was 48.
New York Knicks spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz confirmed Mason's death, which was first reported Saturday by the...

In a season when everything has changed for the Miami Heat, Thursday was a day when it seemed as if nothing had changed.
There, on the practice court at the Smoothie King Center, was Michael Beasley, chatting, joking, shooting, getting buckets. And,...

Since the Lakers' present isn't much, it's nice that there exists a heartwarming and inspirational story from their past.
Where there is history, there is hope.
The story is captured in a documentary film titled: "33STR8."
That was Bill...

Had the Houston Rockets gotten their way, the script would have been flipped for Tuesday's exhibition at AmericanAirlines Arena, with Chris Bosh lining up against the Miami Heat.
For all the drama Pat Riley endured during free agency, the runners-up to...

The Miami Heat saved confirmation of their biggest move of the NBA offseason for last, announcing Wednesday the signing of center Chris Bosh.
While terms were not formally announced by the team, Bosh agreed to a five-year, $118 million...

Maybe the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat rivalry isn't dead after all.
Two days after LeBron James left the Heat to return to his home-state Cleveland Cavaliers, Luol Deng agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with the Heat.
Deng met with Heat president...

After LeBron James decided to leave the Miami Heat for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Heat owner Micky Arison said that he was “shocked and disappointed.”
So was the rest of the city.
Newspapers seemed to be split on the decision. Miami Herald...

A wild Wednesday passed with the NBA's free-agent moratorium ending, LeBron James' future in limbo, Carmelo Anthony likely announcing his return to the Knicks on Thursday and the Bulls focused on Pau Gasol.
Twitter somehow survived.
Though the Bulls had...

Monday at least featured some NBA free-agent movement. It just didn’t come, at least publicly, from Carmelo Anthony.
And that’s fine with the Bulls, who are working under a very simple premise: Until they are told no, they believe the personal and...

Move over, Carmelo. NBA free agency just got a lot more interesting.
LeBron James has informed the Miami Heat he will opt out of the final two years of his contract, the team confirmed Tuesday. This places the NBA's best player into the open market on...

Pat Riley trademarked the term three-peat back when he coached the Lakers. Now, the Heat executive is hoping to accomplish one, something even those Showtime-era teams couldn't.
In fact, only the Minneapolis Lakers from 1952-54, the Celtics with eight...

In a move that will lighten the Miami Heat’s payroll and luxury tax bill, the team shipped seldom-used center Joel Anthony to the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade Wednesday.
The Heat received guard Toney Douglas from the Golden State Warriors in...

When Jerry Buss bought the Lakers in 1979, he wanted to build a championship team. He also wanted to put on a show.
The new owner gave courtside seats to movie stars. He hired pretty women to dance during timeouts. He spent freely on big stars and...

Jerry Buss, the longtime owner of the Lakers whose penchant for showmanship helped turn the game of basketball into “Showtime” and who led the team to 10 NBA championships, died Monday. He was 80.
A self-made millionaire who built his fortune in real...

MIAMI The Miami Heat have officially ended its season on Monday with a massive championship parade and rally that was attended by thousands of fans.
Heat players took turns thanking a packed American Airlines Arena filled with fans wearing "white...